It’s a mystery that wouldn’t be out of place in one of Devon thriller writer Agatha Christie’s own novels - who damaged the sculpture of the famous author in her home town?

The hand-finished bronze likeness of the Torquay-born writer who created the fictional detectives Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot appears to have been wrenched from its fixings on a plinth near the town’s harbour.

Theories posted on social media by users speculating about the cause of the damage ranged from wear-and-tear, vandalism and storm damage, to an attempt to steal it to sell as scrap metal.

One posted on Facebook: "Yeah... but who done it?"

Another replied: "Don't skip to the end of the book!"

The bust has now been removed by Torbay Council for repairs, leaving an empty block wrapped with warning tape close to the former concert hall near Torquay seafront where Christie’s first husband Archie proposed to a young Agatha Miller.

The sculpture has now been removed

The council was not giving away any clues to help solve the case. A statement said: “Due to damage, the Agatha Christie bust, located on Palk Street, has been temporarily removed for repairs and will be reinstated once the repairs have been completed.”

The sculpture by Dutch artist Carol Van Den Boom-Cairns was unveiled by Christie's daughter Rosalind Hicks in 1990, a century after the writer’s birth.